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- Median rent, 2023 YTD: $1,063
- Change from 2022: 2.5%

Even though there's plenty of demand for rentals in cities like Wichita, a lack of new development continues to put pressure on the market. That's partly due to high construction costs, which developers can't easily recoup through rents, as , per KWCH.

Wichita's not the only city with high demand—Overland Park, a suburb of Kansas City, is one of the most in the country, according to a July 2023 RentCafe analysis, due to its affordability within the metro area.

- Median rent, 2023 YTD: $983
- Change from 2022: 2.6%

Although statewide rents are still on the rise, prices in Northwest Arkansas have been increasing faster than the rest of the state. According to Axios, have risen 27% since 2001.

Meanwhile, vacancy rates in the region's key towns of Rogers, Bentonville, Springdale, and Fayetteville are below 3%, which essentially means —since some apartments will need to be offline for repairs, painting, or cleaning at any given time.

In Little Rock, in the central part of the state, a three-decade focus on commercial development has contributed to a , KATV reports. This has caused an increase in rental prices across the city.

- Median rent, 2023 YTD: $951
- Change from 2022: 2.6%

In Iowa, both and apartment rentals have experienced rate increases. In Des Moines, that makes for a for younger workers coming into the job market and people who have relocated from larger, more expensive cities, WHO-13 reports.

- Median rent, 2023 YTD: $1,089
- Change from 2022: 2.8%

A notes that to keep housing costs at no more than —a figure financial experts use to determine how much someone should spend on housing and still have enough money to cover their other expenses—renters must earn an average of $19 an hour.

But renters' actual average wage is just $17.86 an hour. Renters in Indianapolis are feeling the squeeze, but more units coming on the market aren't causing rents to go down. New construction is commanding higher prices, and , renovating them, and raising the rents, Indiana University's Center for Real Estate Studies' Sara Coers told WRTV.

- Median rent, 2023 YTD: $1,083
- Change from 2022: 3.2%

More Mississippians are opting to rent, as increases in home prices and interest rates have put homeownership out of reach for many. That's created , WXXV reports.

Meanwhile, rental property owners are also facing higher costs, so they've increased rents to get a return on their investment. Demand for rentals along the Gulf Coast is so intense , according to WLOX.

College towns are also , the Waller, Weeks and Johnson Rental Index notes. Renters are paying 20% more in Oxford, home to the University of Mississippi, because the city doesn't have enough inventory to meet demand.

- Median rent, 2023 YTD: $1,078
- Change from 2022: 3.2%

While demand is a factor in rental increases, in Wisconsin, this demand is driven by , PBS Wisconsin reports. According to the state's Demographic Services Center, the from 3.224 people in 1970 to 2.353 people in 2022, even though the during that same time.

Costs for building owners have also skyrocketed, who have to manage higher prices for financing, maintenance, repair, and even cleaning costs, which require them to raise rents to cover their investment.

- Median rent, 2023 YTD: $1,260
- Change from 2022: 3.4%

Between 2018 and 2022, , in part due to housing affordability, according to ABC News. However, the Chicago Tribune notes that a keeps prices high and sparks bidding wars for apartments in popular neighborhoods.

By 2024, 15,000 new units will come onto the market in Cook County, which should help stabilize prices. Demand has increased in other parts of the state as well. Analysis by the says the area is short at least 4,300 units, partly due to job growth as are adding more workers.

- Median rent, 2023 YTD: $1,057
- Change from 2022: 4.3%

Regulation may be hindering Wyoming's response to the demand for rental housing throughout the state. Harvard Growth Lab research found cities such as Casper and Cheyenne had difficulty getting government approval to build more housing to .

Meanwhile, the state's , which helped 17,000 low-income families during the pandemic, ended in June 2023. This has taken away a safety net in a state that's needed to serve 25% of renters in the state, per the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

- Median rent, 2023 YTD: $1,051
- Change from 2022: 4.5%

Between July 2021 and July 2022, Nebraska's population , which is higher growth than the national median of 0.19%, according to the Nebraska Examiner. Many of these people are moving to counties surrounding Omaha and Lincoln, the state's two largest cities. Housing demand has not kept up.

In Douglas County, which includes Omaha, the amount of compares to that of the 1930s during the Great Depression, Nebraska Public Media reports. Since 2020, no more than 175 new homes have been built in any year, but the has grown by 1,800.

- Median rent, 2023 YTD: $841
- Change from 2022: 7.0%

Would-be home buyers in North Dakota are staying on the sidelines due to higher costs of home ownership. This has created more competition in the rental market, causing rent increases. Vacancy rates have tightened in many—but not all—areas of the state.

While an 8% vacancy rate is considered acceptable in the state, from about 9% in 2020 to 3.1% in late 2022, reports the North Dakota News Cooperative. During that time, the city's also grew by 4.4%.